What causes Acid Reflux?
There is a valve at the top of the stomach that should be one way and that way is down but sometimes it doesn't work very well. There may be other causes and you should always consult your doctor to rule these out. You may experience acid reflux on a one off basis say after a large, late meal or you may have it every few days or even daily.
What treatment is there and what can you do to help yourself
Having been to your doctor and ruling out any underlying problems you can buy antacid preparations over the counter.
Prescribed medication can also be a factor too, in this case go back to your doctor.
If you smoke you should try to give it up as smoking relaxes the sphincter muscle.
Posture can be a factor see our link to Good Posture.
If you are carrying extra weight this will put pressure and result in acid reflux see our link to Food Pyramid for recommended foods and daily amounts.
Some foods and drinks make the problem worse, it is worth keeping a food diary for a typical 10 days to see if you identify patterns and thus food to avoid. Read how to do this here.
The symptoms may be worse at night, if this is the case with you follow these simple guidelines:
- Make sure that you do not eat and drink at least 3 hours in the case of food and 2hours with drink before bedtime.
- Try to make your last meal of the day a light one. That old adage here works very well: ‘breakfast like a queen, lunch like a duchess, and dine like a pauper’
Condiser taking Multi Vitamin & Mineral Capsule for general all round health.